Seasonal Depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, these mood changes are more serious and can affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities. Freshman Gaby Kim said she’s had her own experiences with negative mental health effects that have affected her life.

“Since middle school started, my academic burnout turned to anxiety, then social anxiety, then depression and things continued to escalate,” she said. “I used to be a 5.0 gpa student, but as the fall and winter months came about, my burnout definitely made an impact on my grades; however, quarantine and virtual learning was exactly what I needed at the time, I wanted to be isolated as a break from everyone and everything else.”

Kim, based on her experiences, said people should become more aware of their own and others’ mental health, since it can occur in anyone from any age. 

Health Teacher Adam Havice agreed with Kim. He said he recommends people dealing with mental health affects, such as depression, to contact trusted adults and close friends. 

“First, I would advise them to please tell their parents and a trusted adult,” he said. “Also, it would be a good idea for them to reach out to a school counselor, or a counselor of some kind because I think a lot of the time, especially with children, they have a hard time understanding that it’s ok to go to counseling. Keeping things bottled up inside is not a good idea.”

Havice said there are many ways to cope with mental health issues; however, it depends on the person and what works best for them.

“I think everybody copes differently. Some people like to exercise, some people like to write, other people like to listen to music, but I think the best way is to be open and share how you are feeling so that people around you can actually help you” Havice said.

Sophomore Hrithik Arcot said he’s also struggled with mental health issues, especially during the winter. Arcot said that he copes with negative mental health effects by listening to music. He enjoys the vibes and said it brightens his mood whenever he is feeling sad.

“I think listening to music just makes me feel good and helps me focus. Other things that help me are talking to friends or watching shows,” he said. “Overall I think just thinking about reasons not to be sad, listening to music, and talking to friends help me deal with negative emotions/ health effects.”

Arcot said seasonal depression is an important mental health issue that people should pay more attention to. 

Arcot said, “If you have negative mental health, I think the biggest thing to remember is that there is always something to look forward to. In addition to this, I think also letting people know that there is always someone to talk to is really helpful.”